


"Gracias." He said.

by KawaiSonadowLover100



Category: Star vs. The Forces Of Evil
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon, Cursed Tom, Curses, Demons, M/M, Magic, Spanish, Succubis, Svtfoe, star vs the forces of evil
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-21
Updated: 2019-11-03
Packaged: 2020-11-02 11:10:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,843
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20725943
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KawaiSonadowLover100/pseuds/KawaiSonadowLover100
Summary: Cultra had been a nuisance for a few months now, and Marco and Star where no where near figuring out what her plans were. Seems the only way to find her was to get an old friend to spill her secrets.What happens when Star calls that old friend? What happens when Marco meets him and learns about his curse? Is it possible to lift or is it permanent?Find out in ‘Gracias – He said’.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Cultra is an OC of mine, you can find her looks on my instagram (art.of.the.wil772)
> 
> Also, I feel like the beginning is a bit fast, but there it is
> 
> *Tags will be edited as the story goes on

“Marco!” Star exclaimed as a beam of light just barely missed her friend. “Narwhal blast!” She yelled, pointing her wand at the floating demon. Her magic was blocked, though, as said demon chuckled darkly.

“You think your spell can stop me, little butterfly?” The voice was dark and sultry, almost like black ooze dripping from the mouth.

“Kitten rainbow bubble blast!” She yelled again, running towards her friend. She knelt down by Marco and took out her dimensional scissors, ripping a portal open. “I’m not trying to stop you.” The demon’s eyes widened as the pair leapt through and disappeared.

They flopped down on the floor as the portal behind them closed, both of them groaning from the impact and their sore muscles. It was already sunset and the fight had begun around five-six-ish. She was amazed how she could fight for hours on end sometimes. But the price was definitely not worth it. This had also been the fifth time this week. Cultra, as they learned, was the demon that kept on terrorizing different dimensions and taking away any life force she could. They’d been trying to stop her for over a month and a half now and they were no close to finding her hideout- she seemed to have countless, honestly.

“You okay, Marco?” She asked, sitting up with a huff.

“Yeah, I’ll be fine.” He replied, rubbing his head and getting to his feet. “Just need about twelve hours of sleep and I’ll be better.” She couldn’t agree more. Standing up as well, she dragged her feet to her bed and sat down, resting her forehead in her hands and groaned again. Why can’t the bad guys just take a break once in a while? Would it kill them to go on vacation for a week?

She looked ahead, chin in hands, and thought. How were they gonna find her? She always attacks at random times and at different places and never has she been in the same place twice before. How were they supposed to find out her plans? There had to be more than just running around and zapping people of their life... Right? Did she not have a place that she likes to hang out? Could she not leave a hint to where she’s going next?

Star groaned again and flopped on her bed, the heel of her palms digging into her eyes. This was so annoying. If only she could find someone who knew her at least a little bit…

Then it hit her.

Like a lightning bolt, she jumped off her bed and ran to her mirror.

“Star?” Her mother answered after the third ring, a confused expression on her face. “What is it?”

“I need a ride to the Underworld.”

“The Underworld-?”

“The what-?” Marco asked behind her as he walked into her room, towel drying his hair and his pajamas on. He apparently just came out of the shower.

“Please, mom, it’s really important.” She looked at her mother, pleading with her big blue eyes.

“Why?” Moon asked, the confusion still on her face.

“I think I know how to stop Cultra.”

“Really-?”

“You do-?”

“Star, that’s awesome-!”

“How?” The girl gulped a little.

“Well… Um, I’ll asked for help, that’s how.” Her mother gave her a deadpanned look. She sighed exasperatedly. “I’ll ask Tom.” She mumbled. The queen’s eyes widened.

“Oh.” Was all she said for a few minutes. “Are you sure, dear?” Concern was evident in her voice. Star nodded firmly, looking at her mother in the eyes. Marco looked confused. Sighing, Moon nodded. “Alright. If you’re sure.” She straightened up. “Pack what you need, your ride will be there shortly.” And with that, she hung up, the mirror returning to its previous reflective state.

“Marco!” Star turned to her friend now, rushing him out the door. “Get dressed!”

“But I just showered!”

“Either you dress yourself or I dress you!” She stared at him pointedly. He sighed defeatedly and walked to his room, pulling out his usual red hoodie and jeans. And he just showered… 

When Moon said that their ride would be there shortly, she really meant shortly. Barely five minutes later, a demon chained to a cart came flying up Star’s balcony, its gravelly voice sending shivers down Marco’s spine. “Which floor, mortals?” He had asked.

“To the bottom.” Star had replied, jumping in the carriage. Marco was a bit hesitant but went on none the less.

“Sooo… What’s this ‘Underworld’?” He asked as they started to descend, darkness swallowing them as they went underground. Luminescent yellow lights lit up by both sides of two entrances, providing them with enough light to see each other and look out the window at the earth crumbling around them.

“It’s a place where demons live.”

“So, it’s where Cultra’s from?”

“Eh, more or less.” Star waved a hand and rolled her eyes, looking uninterested about the whole situation. Years of friendship helped him see right through her façade: her shoulders were tense, her thumbs were fidgeting with each other slightly, her leg was shifting with the smallest of movements. She was nervous, bordering scared. He smiled gently at her and leaned forward to place a hand on hers. She looked up at him from the floor.

“Talk to me.” She sighed.

“It’s Tom.”

“Go on.”

“It’s just, I haven’t seen him in years and I didn’t exactly help him out when Cultra came by and I know that he’s still mad at me, but I was -what, ten when it happened?- and I was scared and really regret not being there for him when he needed me, it’s just-“

“Star. Breathe.” He cut her off, taking a breath himself as she mimicked him, both letting them out at the same time. There were a few seconds of silence. “What happened?”

She opened her mouth to answer, but was cut off abruptly as the carriage shook. They hit bottom.

She gave Marco an apologetic look, thanking the demon as they got out. She didn’t look back as the carriage ascended into the sky above, Marco staring at it in awe. She took a breath to steady herself and, with her head held high, started walking towards the castle.

Marco was amazed. Movies didn’t do this place justice. Instead of that deserted place he would imagine for hell, surrounded by fires and lava, there were actual buildings and markets and hotels and restaurants about. He even passed a construction site as they were walking. There were boutiques almost every five blocks and if he strained his neck, he could see the lava beach faraway, filled with blankets and surfers on the waves. The path was stone with big rectangular rocks buried in it, but the surface was smooth and he only tripped once on their trip- and that was on a pile of some type of food someone threw out a window. The buildings themselves seemed to be made out of the same stone, but glazed out so much that the rocks blend with one another. And if the architecture wasn’t interesting then the inhabitants sure were.

Demons walked about and around him, some with multiple heads, others with five eyes, some had ten arms and some had one leg. Horns stuck out of every head he saw: small horns, big horns, twisty horns, straight horns, black horns, white horns, broken and freshly cleaned, there were even translucent ones somewhere! A lot of the people also had tails, some blunt and round, other’s sharp and shaped like arrows. And the skin colors were different as well; while most were shades of red, others were pitch black, possibly with brown spots, and there were a few with cool colors as well. Some had skin colors, but big red birthmarks. He supposed that not every demon is a fully-fledged demon.

Left and right, demons kept on bumping into him and some merchants were trying to bribe him into buying some of the stuff they had. He stopped at one point to admire a jewel necklace one particular demon was holding in front of him when Star grabbed his arm and dragged him away, telling him that he could’ve died if he touched that gem. It was a stretch to say that, actually, but it didn’t make the fact that it was cursed any less true.

And then there was the castle. Oh, the castle. It both terrified and put him in awe.

It was all black and mysterious and creepy and plain goth. The windows reflected the red sky, the grass looked dead and brown, the fence that was about a hundred feet away from the entrance looked as if it insulted someone’s mother and got the literal hell beaten out of it; it looked so close to falling apart but it was somehow still holding. In general, the entire vibe Marco got when they reached the entrance was seriously disturbing. Horror directors would kill to film on a set like this.

He yelped when he heard a loud bell, his guard coming back up while his mind returned.

“Relax, it’s just the doorbell.” Star said, smirking.

“Could’a warned a guy.” He mumbled, displeased.

The huge doors creaked open slowly, Marco gulping and preparing himself for the worst. What he didn’t expect was a small, pale green demon with black horns and wings to stand behind the door. Oh, did I say stand? I meant fly. He was hovering above the ground at their height, locking their eyes in a perfect horizontal line.

“Greetings.” Star said, her shoulders squaring.

“Princess Butterfly.” The butler bowed, his high croaky voice bouncing off the walls of the empty hall. He stepped aside to let them in. Star held her head high, not sparing a glance at her surroundings. Marco, on the other hand, couldn’t keep his eyes locked on one place. The castle seemed to look bigger on the inside. How was that even possible?

“Marco!” Star whisper-yelled, grabbing his attention. The small demon butler had taken the lead with Star following behind. He didn’t even notice he had stopped walking. Jogging, he reached his friend’s side and continued to stare at the walls and interior, making sure to keep pace with their guide and the princess.

The castle was just as ominous inside as it was on the outside; the walls were black and had paintings all around, and the only light that they had was marked on both sides of the path way so it was hard to see the faces of the portraits. The columns that kept the ceiling up were the only color he’d seen so far, a creamy white with gold swirls decorating it. When he passed one, he saw that the patters weren’t painted but that they were actual gold glued on. He was kind of impressed, considering how much detail those swirls had. The stairs they walked on were carpeted with red, the black railings with the same gold ornaments. At least this place knew how to keep consistency.

He stopped when they turned right, looking far off into the corner. It was strange how dark it was. It didn’t matter that the lights were close to the center, he could still at least make out objects while they were in previous halls, but this one was eerily dark. He looked at Star and the guide, seeing that they weren’t looking at him, and made his way towards the corner slowly. The lights were purposefully turned off here. He could just barely make out a frame of a picture covered partly by a curtain. Why would they put a painting up if they were going to cover it? It was seriously bugging him that there wasn’t any light here, he could just see that it was a painting of a portrait. He turned his head back, seeing that Star and the guide were almost gone, and looked back at the picture, slowly reaching his hand to touch it. Normally, he wouldn’t do this (stray from Star in a dimension he’s never been in, invade people’s privacy, touch things he shouldn’t, ect), but there was something about this corner that pulled him to come, making him take steps closer and closer…

He just barely touched the curtain when a hand suddenly grabbed his wrist and spun him around panicked and angry blue eyes meeting his.

“_What_ are you doing, _Marco_?!” Star asked, worried and fuming. Lucky he didn’t scream.

“I-I… I don’t know…” It was the truth, at least.

“Don’t wander off like that! Especially here! Now, come on!” She turned around and pulled him with her with great strength, taking Marco by surprise. He quickly regained himself and synced up his steps with his best friend, feeling her let go of his hand.

He felt bad. Like a kid who took home a stray cat and was getting scolded. He sighed and looked ahead. He turned his head when he heard Star sigh too.

“It’s okay.” She said, grabbing his hand again and squeezing it. “Just don’t do that again.”

“I won’t.” He squeezed back. “I’m sorry.”

“Apology accepted, Mango.” She giggled softly, Marco rolling his eyes.

Marco didn’t know what to expect, honestly, but this was… well, something. They were standing at the entrance of what appeared to be the throne room, a lush carpet leading up to the king and queen, windows surrounding the two walls on each side of the doors and opened curtains framing them. Up ahead were, what Marco guessed, the king and queen of the Underworld, talking to some other demons who were writing down their words on paper with inked quills. A bit old fashion, but he appreciated the aesthetic.

“Your highness.” The green demon in front of them bowed. “Princess Butterfly has arrived.”

“Yes, Dex, we heard the bell.” The king chuckled, motioning with his hand to let them in.

The butler stepped to the side and bowed to them as well, Star now taking the lead and walking up to the thrones. She curtsied and Marco bowed, greeting them. “Rise your heads, princess.” He said.

“Thank you for your time, king Dave, queen Wrathmelior.” She said, raising her head and locking eyes with… the human? Marco barely stopped himself from gawking. From afar, he thought that the king was just a demon with seriously pale skin, but he really was human. No horns, no tail, no wings, no red birthmarks of anything demonic, for that matter. The fact that people from Earth may know about the Underworld kind of freaked him out.

“Of course. It’s not every day we get a visit from the princess of Mewni.” Star laughed awkwardly. “And who’s this?” He turned to her companion.

“Marco Diaz. He’s the one that usually accompanies me on missions.” She gestured to him, the boy smiling awkwardly and bowing his head.

“A pleasure.” Dave nodded. “And what brings you here to our kingdom, if I may ask?”

“Yeah, um, about that…” She looked to Marco for an anchor, the boy smiling to encourage her. She sighed then lifted her head. “We request an audience with the prince.” Dave’s smile faded.

“Why?”

“You heard of Cultra, right?” He nodded.

“The demon that’s been terrorizing dimensions for months now, yes.”

“Well, we’ve been entrusted to stop her.” She gestured to herself then Marco.

“And why haven’t you?”

“She’s tricky.” There was a moment of silence.

“And how does Tom add to this equation?”

“Well, he knows Cultra, right? He could help us find her-“

“And what makes you think he will?” The king cut her off, his eyes narrowing. Star gulped. She looked at her friend from the corner of her eye again before continuing.

“I don’t, sire. But that doesn’t mean I won’t try to convince him.” Dave looked at her for moment.

“And if he is not convinced?”

“Then we’ll leave the castle and won’t ask for your help again.” There was another moment of silence. Marco looked between the king and Star. The human was eyeing them -her, to be exact- suspiciously, while his friend was stiff as a board. Her hands were clenched in fists by her side, slightly hidden behind her skirt do the royals wouldn’t see them tremble. She was nervous and so was he. He didn’t know who this Tom guy was, but if Star believed that he could help them then it was worth a try.

“Please, your majesty.” All eyes fell upon him, the queen nonchalant, the king with his brow raised and Star gaping like a fish. “One meeting. That’s all we ask for.” Dave seemed to ponder this. The boy jumped slightly when he heard grumbling. Wrathmelior was the one producing the noise, her yellow eyes turned to her husband as he listened intently. He chuckled as he looked at Marco from the corner of his eyes.

“Yes, he is quite brave.” He mumbled, the two barely catching it. “Alright.” He said, looking at Marco with a small smile. “One meeting. He goes only if he says yes. Dex, lead them to the gardens. I’ll grab Tom.” He said, standing up. “You can finish up here, right, darling?” He turned to his wife, seeing as the servants with the papers were already surrounding her. She grumbled a response and Dave smiled, nodding and walking the opposite direction from the princess.

“Marco, I cannot believe you just did that!” Star exclaimed once they were alone in the vast garden.

“Was I not supposed to?” He raised a brow, worry starting to creep up on him now.

“I mean, usually those who have a lower status than another person don’t start a conversation unless the person of higher status talks to them first.” She started explaining, Marco’s face draining of color as she went on. Lucky they were sitting on a bench, otherwise he would’ve fallen. “Remember how I didn’t start talking till the king didn’t speak to me first? It’s kind of a stupid rule, if you ask me, but Dave didn’t say anything bad about you, and I’m pretty sure Wrathmelior didn’t either so you’re okay. Just remember that from now on.”

“Yeah, okay.” He said absent mindedly, still processing the fact that he might’ve just committed a felony of some sort. Star looked at him with sympathy, rubbing his back to sooth him a little.

“Hey, it’s alright. You didn’t know.” Marco took a deep breath.

“Yeah, you’re right. Could’ve been a nice warning, though.”

“Hah, yeah.” Star said, rubbing the back of her neck nervously. She looked down sadly, suddenly, a stern expression coming onto her face. “Look, about Tom… There’s something you need to know…”

“That I shouldn’t talk to him unless he talks to me first?” He tried to lighten the mood, an awkward laugh quickly quieting when he saw his friend’s worried expression not changing.

“It’s just… The way he looks is… I mean, he hasn’t always looked that way and… it’s kind of a sensitive subject… I know that demons can come in all shapes and sizes but he really doesn’t look anything like his parents… I just don’t want you to be surprised or anything.”

“Star, we’ve faced monsters that have given me nightmares for weeks, I think I can handle the prince.”

“I’m just saying, he really doesn’t look like he used to and I haven’t seen him in years, too… I wonder how much he’s changed.” She mumbled the last part to herself, looking down at the ground thoughtfully.

Before Marco could reply, the doors to the gardens opened and he followed Star as she got up. He looked at her worried expression before turned towards the entrance, a huge shadow walking through them. He stifled his small gasp as his eyes widened, the demon prince walking out. He was at least one and a half Marco’s tall with a big and bulky body, clothes torn around lavender skin and pink(?) hair sprouting around his head, neck and down his back. He had black wings coming from behind him, almost twice the size of him with dozens of small and big holes in them. He also had a powerful looking tail slowly swishing behind him. Marco was sure that that tail could strangle him and snap his neck. His hands and feet had black, sharp claws and his legs looked like a lion’s hind paws. What struck the human most, though, was the demon’s face; his lower canines had grown out, long and sharp; his ears bigger, more raggedy and pointy; the horns on his head were dark and looked almost broken, though he was pretty sure that that’s how they were supposed to look like; and then came his eyes. Three red rubies framed by kohl stared daggers at him. Well, his friend, more likely.

“Star.” His voice made him jump. He was expecting some gravelly, scratchy deep kind of gurgle to come out, but it was actually a soft tenor going on a baritone. It was a weird combination since it wasn’t too light nor too deep, but it was the best explanation Marco could come up with. “What do you want?” That doesn’t mean it didn’t make him flinch though. Star remained unmoved, straightening her back slightly.

“We came to ask for your help.” There was moment of silence. They both jumped when a laugh emitted from the demon prince, albeit a sarcastic one.

“You think I’m going to help you? After everything that happened?” He looked at her like she’d gone crazy, a disbelieving half smile on his face. “I’m sorry to disappoint, but you’ve come to the wrong place.” He was about to turn and leave when Star desperately said,

“It’s about Cultra!” That made the prince pause. She took that as a sign to continue. “Please, Tom. I know you want to take her down after what she did. Please, just- we need you. We’ve been chasing after her for _months_ and we have no lead and I know you know her personally and if you can just help us find some of her hideouts-!”

“Leave.” The dark tone in his voice made Marco flinched. Star looked at his disbelievingly.

“Tom, please-“

“I SAID _LEAVE_!” His wings suddenly opened to their full length, his hands clutched together and his teeth bared, making the girl taking a step back. Small sparks of flame grew by the grass and ashes floated about and around him. Marco fell down out of pure shock and mild fear. The fire died down as Tom took a few calming breaths. They stared at him for a moment before Star brought herself out of her shock. She nudged Marco slightly to get him to stand up, looking at Tom sadly. They both left through the doors, the boy looking back only once.

“So?” Dave asked. They were back in the throne room with the queen in her chair while the king was standing not far away, some scroll in his hand he was looking over.

“… We won’t be bothering you again.” Star said with her head held down. Marco squeezed her hand slightly.

“I see.” Was all Dave said, going back to his scroll.

“If you’ll excuse us.” She curtsied and turned to walk away. Her friend looked between her and the royals.

“Um…” He began unsteadily. Dave and Wrathmelior looked up at him in slight confusion and curiosity, Star turned her head so fast it was a surprise she didn’t get whiplash. “It was a pleasure to meet you, your highnesses. And your son, too.” He bowed quickly and turned to his friend, walking fast and pulling her along. The king and queen shared a look, a silent conversation passing between them.

“Wait.” Marco froze. “Why don’t you stay the night?” Star’s jaw dropped. They turned to look at the royals with wide eyes.

“Pardon?” The princess asked, looking at the king like he’d just suggested they jump off a cliff.

“I know the walk back to the carriage can be exhausting and you look like you’re about to faint standing, so the least we can do is offer you a warm bed. Dinner can be taken to your rooms, if you’d like.”

“But-“

“Please, I insist.” His smile was warm and welcoming, though his eyes had a glint in them that the two couldn’t seem to pinpoint. Star looked at Marco and he looked at her. He shrugged. He’d have to call his parents so they wouldn’t worry too much, but that was about it.

“… It would be our honor.”

The castle was even spookier at night though Marco had to give credit to the designers. As scary as it looked, it gave him this feeling of fullness as he walked around the empty halls. His thoughts were running a mile a minute with the whole Cultra thing and the spontaneous sleepover. He barely ate the dinner that was brought into his room, mostly because it looked alive and his appetite wasn’t so strong that night. The room itself looked cozy with the black walls and floor-to-ceiling windows and the few luminescent lights strewn about in the corners, but all the blank walls did was fill him with exhausting thoughts that he wasn’t too keen on thinking at the moment so he had to find a way to occupy himself. He was restless and bored, basically.

It also was probably a bad idea to roam around someone else’s house like this, but the castle was so vast that he doubted the king or queen would find him. There were barely any servants about as well, apart from that one or two who would come and go to check on the lights, but the shadows hid him fairly well and if they noticed they didn’t seem to care.

He walked around for what felt like hours, which was probably thirty minutes, when he found himself in front of the door to the gardens. That was the least creepy place he found in the entirety of the castle so he pushed the heavy door open and closed it as quietly as he could. He wondered how Dex had managed to push it open with only one hand. He sighed and turned around. No one was out there. Perfect.

He made his way to the bench he and Star had sat on and took a seat, looking over the bushes and strange flowers. The wind picked up and he wrapped his hands around himself. Maybe he should’ve brought a blanket. It was quiet like that for a while, the far busy streets bellow mixing in with the wind. The noise reminded him of a city on Earth he’d once went to with his parents when he was younger, probably to visit relatives. The lights still flickered in his memory as did the city buzz. It was relaxing with the black-is grey bushes in front and the uneven pavement leading to the center of it to a broken fountain. There were also golden roses among the bushes. He didn’t know if they were made of actual gold or just painted. Either way, it still showed how much richer the royals were than him. The sky was red, almost marron and a few dark clouds littered the sky. The aesthetic was awesome and it made Marco forget about the chill for a bit.

“You know, it’s rude to sneak around in people’s homes.” The chill came back as he yelped, falling from the bench, his closed eyes snapping open. He turned around, hand on his heart, to see the prince staring at him with a bored yet curious expression.

“I-I-I-“ He couldn’t form a proper sentence yet. His legs were trembling and starting to feel slightly numb while his heart was trying to steady itself. Sweat pooled at his forehead and the cold feeling inside his chest was starting to dissipate slowly. His breathing was ragged and uneven, close to hyperventilating. He blinked for a few seconds before closing his eyes and trying to even his breath, bringing his legs closer and his hand clutching at the borrowed nightwear. “I-I’m sorry. I-I didn’t mean…” His breath was still coming out short and his words were jumbled. Damn, that was some scare.

“Hey, you okay?” Tom asked, but didn’t make a move to go closer.

“I-I’m- yeah, just-“

“Need a breather?” Marco just nodded, still trying to calm his breathing.

The prince looked mildly amused and a little concerned, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. He was mostly hidden by shadows but the human could feel his eyes burning holes in his head, even if he couldn’t see them. Which he could. They shone brightly in the night, even if they were under shade.

“I-I’m sorry…” Marco said after a few minutes, still sitting on the ground. “For wandering…” He added. “I just… Couldn’t sleep…” There was a pause.

“’S’alright. I couldn’t sleep either.” The prince said, nonchalantly. His gaze finally shifted to the ground in front of him. “Can’t sleep most nights, actually.” He mumbled. “But I should be the one to apologize. I scared you pretty good.” He tried not to chuckle. Marco felt his brow twitch. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine.” He replied, getting up slowly. He stood on his slightly cold and slightly numb legs, still coming down from that high he never wants to get into again. He sat down on the bench again, facing the prince partly. “I shouldn’t have been sneaking around.”

“At least you didn’t get caught by the guards. They would’ve struck you dead on sight.” Marco shivered at the thought.

“Lucky…” He trailed off, not really knowing how to continue. “You...” He furrowed his brows, contemplating if he should ask the question. Eh, what the heck. “You’re not surprised I’m still here?”

“My dad told me.” Tom replied shortly. “Don’t know why he’d offer you to stay here, but it’s done, nothing I can do about it now.” Marco looked away from the prince’s hidden face and down to the ground in front of him. The silence was starting to strangle him as it continued on. He searched his mind for a conversation starter, anything to keep the quiet from taking over, but nothing seemed to come up. He kept glancing at the prince from the corner of his eyes, sometimes locking with his and sometimes seeing him look away. He didn’t seem to care for the silence at all.

“What are you doing?” He jumped and turned his head towards the other, his red eyes looking pointedly the hand on the bench. He quickly put it in his lap and covered it with the other, looking sheepishly at the ground.

“Nervous habit.” He tried to smile at the prince- he knew he failed. What surprised him was the dark and displeased look the prince’s face gained.

“I’m sorry. I’ll leave first.” He straightened up and was about to leave when Marco asked ‘why’. The genuine confusion in the human’s face seemed to stun the prince for some reason. “Because… I’m making you nervous?” Now Marco seemed surprised.

“You’re not making me nervous.”

“I’m not?” The other shook his head. “Oh.”

Here’s the awkward silence again.

“I just…” The demon’s ears perked up as Marco rubbed his arm, looking sideways. “Didn’t know what to say. Is all.”

“Oh.” Tom said again. “Um. May I…?” He pointed to the bench where Marco was sitting, the other looking to it then back at the prince. He nodded a bit faster than he should’ve but the demon either didn’t notice or didn’t care.

He made his way to the chipping seat and sat down as Marco scooched over. He almost took up the whole bench, but the human didn’t seem to mind. They sat there, staring at the garden in front of them. Tom’s legs were close to touching his chest that he almost looked like he was crouching. It amused Marco even more when he saw him tap his fingers rhythmically on his knees. It was nice to see that he wasn’t the only one who was a bit nervous. His heart had calmed down since the fright he had, it honestly felt a bit light now. He smiled absentmindedly as he relaxed on the back of the bench, his hands between his squished thighs.

“So. Is royal life all it’s cut out to be?” He asked, his eyes fixed in front of him.

“And how is it supposed to be like?” Tom asked, looking at him from the side.

“Well, jewels and riches on your wrists and neck, butlers and maids at your command, you know, the ‘luxurious life’.” He gestured wildly as he smiled lopsidedly at the prince.

“I don’t know what kind of fantasy you’re living in, but I’d love to be a part of it.” He sighed.

Their talk went on like that for a while, the topics mundane and the questions sometimes silly and sometimes casual. He didn’t know why it was so easy to talk to prince Tom, but it was and he wasn’t all too bothered by it. And neither was said prince. He wasn’t about to ruin this opportunity he got; he rarely spoke to someone other than his parents and a servant or two. It felt refreshing and seriously nice to speak to someone who wasn’t afraid of how he looked. The human had even smiled at him! The joy he felt when he said he could sit on the bench by him could be compared to when his parents had got him his first pet when he was six.

“And then he fell over!” Said Marco, laughing and wiping away hid tears. He was telling Tom about a prank he and Star pulled on a monster once and the prince couldn’t stop his laughter.

“Oh, man, that was good.” He replied, the wide smile still stretched across his face.

“But his face when he found out! That was the best!” Marco giggled, a hand on his stomach.

“Wish I could’ve seen it.” Tom said wistfully.

“Me too.” He looked down at the human beside him, his eyes wide. “Your fire would’ve been a great asset to the joke, hehe.”

The prince looked at him. “My fire?” He asked, furrowing his brows slightly. “How’d you know about my fire?”

“Star told me when I asked about you.” Marco looked to the side.

“You… asked about me?” Tom was surprised, possibly a little pleasantly.

“Is that weird?” The other slumped a bit.

“No, no!” He answered, turning towards Marco and raised his hands, shaking them. “I’m honestly flattered!”

Marco looked surprised. “You are?”

“Well, I mean, no one really wants to know about me and stuff so to know that there _is_ someone is, um- well-“

“Reassuring?”

“… Yeah.” Tom smiled slightly. Marco could’ve sworn he saw a slight flush on the prince’s cheeks, though it was possible that the shadows were playing tricks on his eyes. The prince looked towards the garden, his eyes cast down and that small smile still playing on his lips. Marco kept his gaze on him a while longer before looking forward as well. It was a nice and peaceful silence, tranquil like a warm room lit by fire on a winter night, a fuzzy blanket wrapped around you and a book in your hands. “It’s getting late.” The human looked at the prince, the latter’s gaze towards the sky. When he looked up as well, all he could see was the clouds -or smoke, maybe- with two bright balls shining in the sky.

“How’d you know?” Marco asked, turning his head.

“’Cause of the positions of the moons- see?” Tom pointed. “The small moon goes around diagonally, and when the two are in a horizontal line it means it midnight.”

“And what time is it now?”

Tom squinted his eyes. “About one thirty?”

“Oh my God!” Marco jumped to his feet, startling the prince. “We should get to bed- I am so sorry for keeping you up so late.” He said as he started walking towards the door that led to the castle.

“No, no, it’s fine, I don’t mind.” Tom replied, pulling the handle of the door, seeing as how the small human had trouble opening it. Marco smiled bashfully, giggling nervously, and stepped through.

“You don’t?”

“Of course not. It was fun talking to you.” Tom smiled, closing the door behind him gently.

“It was fun talking to you, too, your highness.”

“Please, call me Tom.” He said, starting to walk down the hall. Marco stuttered.

“… Are you sure that’s alright?” He jogged a little to catch up.

“I’m sure.” The prince looked at him from the corner of his third eye.

“… Okay.” He smiled slightly, a barely visible flush on his cheeks. “I’m -uh- Marco.”

“Hi ‘uh-Marco.” Tom replied as they turned a corner.

The other laughed a little. “That was horrible.”

“And you still laughed.” The prince said smugly, leaning a bit to the side towards Marco.

“Out of pity.” The human jibed back, smirking as well. “Didn’t want you to feel bad about yourself.”

“Sure, sure.” Tom replied, nodding his head sarcastically. “Where are you sleeping?”

“Umm…” Marco thought as he looked around. They were in the main hall of the castle, right by the stairs. “On the second floor?” He shrugged his shoulders. Prince Tom rolled his eyes and smiled as they continued their walk. He suddenly stopped, his ears flicking in short, sharp moves. He put a hand on Marco’s shoulder, stopping him in his tracks. “Wha-?” He never finished his question as Tom suddenly picked him up and flew to the ceiling, the human too startled to scream or gasp or yell.

As he looked down, he saw two men sneaking by, cloaks covering their faces. Marco saw one of them had made two holes in the hood for his dangly horns while the other had a thick purple tail swaying slowly under the cloak. The latter was small while the other was big and bulky. They continued towards the stairs, walking up them slowly. Tom kept to the shadows, flapping his wings as quietly as he could. Marco was gripping the fur on the prince’s chest, holding tightly. The arms around him tightened when his did, a reassurance that he wasn’t going to be dropped anytime soon. It made him feel safe and flustered at the same time. He mentally shook his head and forced himself to focus on the situation at hand. Slowly, he felt Tom move and pull back, turning to another hall and flying to the farthest corner as fast as he could.

“Stay here.” He whispered as he put the human down gently.

“What-?”

“Shh!”

“What do you mean ‘stay here’?” He whispered back, looking a little offended.

“Those demons are sent here to kill me-“

“What?!”

“SHH!!” Tom shushed again. “Do you want them to find you, too?!”

“You can’t go out there alone-!”

“It’s not the first time and it won’t be the last, now either stay here or go find a guard.” He didn’t give Marco much room to argue as he flew up and away faster than before. He stared on at Tom’s retreating form. _It’s not the first time and it won’t be the last_. How long had Tom had to deal with this kind of stuff?

Marco huffed and started to run towards the other side of the hall. He didn’t need time to think about that right now, he needed to focus. He felt like he was running in circles with how similar the walls seemed to look, and his racing mind didn’t help. Noises of a fight were fading in the background and he was barely able to stop himself from turning around. He stopped by a door and leaned against it, huffing out big breaths of air. He hadn’t spotted a singly guard or servant or any creature that might be able to help him out. He was getting really frustrated.

Just as he was about to get up from the door, said door flung inwards and he fell with a yelp. “Marco?” The tired voice asked.

“Star?” He asked as he looked up at her.

“What are you doing?” She asked, rubbing her eyes.

He got up, grabbed her by the shoulders and looked her straight in her blues. “Tom’s in trouble, he needs our help- _now_.” He took her hand and started running the way he came from, missing a few corners and turns, but the scene they fell upon made him guiltily wish he missed a few more.

His stomach churned when he saw the blood on the floor before Tom and the two mysterious demons. They stopped with a gasp. The hall was wrecked; the carpets were stained with blood and ripped, the railings by the stairs broken and twisted, large claw-like gashes littered the pillars and walls around them, most of the paintings were destroyed and the red curtains were slashed and had dark splotches.

The three demons looked worse. The two assailants weren’t wearing their cloaks anymore, discarded somewhere out of sight. The one with the purple tail was an ugly puke green skin with dangly limbs and belts filled with weaponry. One of his arms was broken and he was limping. The other, bulkier demon was dark red, the blood coming from the deep gash on his forehead looking pale on his skin and temporarily blinding his vision. One of his eyes was closed, possibly permanently blind, Marco guessed. One of his lower canines looked freshly broken and the skin on his side was torn, like it was bitten off.

Tom didn’t look any better. He was snarling, teeth bared and sharp. One of his wings was ripped halfway, rendering him to the ground, and some of his hair was ripped from his chest, blood going down his stomach. The minimal clothing he wore was barely covering him and his hands were covered with blood, Marco swore he could see skin under his talons and in his mouth. He swallowed his gag as he went closer, jumping the green demon. He kicked out and hit him square in the back, knocking the air out of him. He was groaning in pain as he tried to get up off the floor, Marco stepping back a few meters. The red demon turned towards him, snarled, and started to walk towards him. Tom took the opportunity to grab his horns and fling him across the hall. When he turned to look at the human, his face was angry and relieved at the same time.

“Marco, what are you doing here?!” Tom yelled, walking closer to him and jabbing a finger in his chest. “I thought I told you to find a guard!”

“I didn’t have time, I had to come back-!”

“And get hurt?!”

“I won’t get hurt, I’ve fought monsters bigger than these guys, I can handle myself just fine!” He glared back.

Before Tom could say anything, he felt his wings being pulled, his ripped one opening even more as he was flung back and over the red demon. He groaned as he hit the floor, gasping when he fell on his hurt wing.

“Star! Use your wand!” Marco yelled as he dodged a hit from the small demon. He was fast even with a hurt leg, and that tail packed a serious punch.

“I can’t! I didn’t bring it!”

“Shit!” The human cursed, ducking and leaping away. He landed by the girl who took up a defense stance as well. They evaded the purple tail and twisted on either side, extending their legs with force and hitting him on his chest and legs respectively. “The bell!” He said, looking towards Tom and the red demon by the stairs. “Get the bell, hurry!” Star nodded and ran for the front door.

A loud, continuous clanging was heard a few seconds later, the assassins realizing what was happening. Quickly, Big Red knocked the prince away from him and went for Green where Marco was waiting for him. He stepped in front of the demon still laying on the floor, the other growling in warning.

“Come at me.” He dared.

The demon glared at him for a moment before smirking and lunging forward, claws out, sharp and shiny with fresh blood. Marco leaped to the side, hitting his opponent in the rib where the huge gash of missing flesh way, making him howl in pain. He snarled as he turned towards him, grabbing his leg and flinging him to one of the pillars. The human gasped when his back hit the white surface, the popped gold digging into him. He slid down with a thump, his head pounding and dizzy. Everything seemed to blur up, a red splotch walking up to him slowly. The dark laugh that was echoing, along with the clanging of the bell, were making his head pound faster and harder. He tried to shake the feeling off, but it only made it worse. He moaned and whimpered when he was lifted by the neck of his hoodie, a blurry face coming to view as the demon brought his closer. He could smell the blood and rotten breath and it only made his head dizzier and stomach twist. Big Red suddenly stopped and turned his head to the side. Marco wondered what was happening when he heard the faint clinking of metal. A lot of metal. Like someone was running.

The guards.

He was dropped ungracefully, his butt hitting the floor hard. He honestly felt that if he was dropped on his head then there wouldn’t be any difference. Big Red was gone in a flash, going to Green and picking him up.

He spoke for the first time since the two came here. “We’ll meet again, prince Lucitor.” And with that, he ran off, the clinking of metal now clearer and louder. The guards split, some going after the two while the other half went to their prince.

“I’m fine, I’m fine.” Tom brushed them off, getting up slowly and wincing at the cut on his calf. He looked to where the human was, still by the pillar, and quickly walked up to him.

Marco felt big but gentle arms lift him up and wet, soft fur against his cheek a second later. He blinked, trying to get his eyes to focus.

“I told you to call the guards.” A gentle voice said, somewhere close to his head.

“You were… in trouble…” He tried to speak, but his vision was getting darker. “Couldn’t… leave…” He felt the chest he was pressed up against scoff, cool air cradling his skin. They were walking somewhere.

“Thank you.” Is what he heard before his surroundings quickly went dark, sleep dragging him down.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally, new chapter out.
> 
> This one is shorter than the first and it's kinda pissing me off, but okay
> 
> If there are any misspellings, point them out, thank you!
> 
> Enjoy

The first thing Marco saw was blackness. He tried to look around but he couldn’t seem to move his head. His lids felt heavy and his head felt like a drum was nestled in it since he felt it bounding non-stop. He tried to make a sound but his throat felt blocked. His arms prickled with tiny needles- was there a breeze where he was? He heard voices and shuffling about in the room he was in. One voice was female and another was a gentle yet tense sounding tenor. One was Star. The other…

He tried to open his eyes again, force them to open. He wanted to hear what they were saying properly, see Star and reassure her that he was fine. Soft red light poured in through the darkness as his lids slowly went up. The lump on his throat let out as a groan escaped his lips. His muscles suddenly came to life as he lifted a hand to his forehead, feeling bandages just under his hairline. He must’ve hit his head somehow.

“Marco!” Star’s relieved voice was right by his side.

“I’ll give you two some privacy.” The other voice said, but Marco was still a little too dizzy to see who it was. He saw that she nodded to whoever was leaving.

He looked towards her, his eyes focusing on a happy smile and worried eyes. He noticed she was still wearing pajamas, her hair a tangled mess and her eyes sunken only slightly. “Oh, thank corn you’re alright.” She hugged him, yelps of pain coming from him.

“Wait- ah- Star! My back!” Marco said, trying to pry her off.

“Oh! I am _so_ sorry!” She dropped him unceremoniously onto the soft bed. “How are you feeling?”

“Like I fell off a cliff.” He groaned, putting a hand on his head again. “But I’ll be fine. Not like this is the first time.” He chuckled a little, a small smile on his face.

“You sure you’re alright?” She asked again, sitting on the chair beside him.

“Yeah, I’m sure.” He smiled wider, looking at her from the corner of his eyes. He opened them a bit more and looked around the room.

It was the same as the rest of the castle with its black walls and red windows, the soft beds and dark curtains. The only difference was that the covers were white in this room and there were two chairs beside the bed. One was the one Star was sitting in, the other was big and cushiony.

“Say, Star…” Marco began, looking back at his friend. “Who was that that just left?”

“Oh, uh- it was Tom.” She replied, looking a bit nervous. “He was worried about you… for some reason…” She mumbled the last part.

Marco acted like he didn’t hear her. “Why’d he leave? He can stay if he wants to.” Star almost looked baffled.

“Uh- sure.” She got up from the chair and walked to the door, opened it and saw that the prince was waiting in the hall, leaning against the wall a few feet away. “You can come in.” She said in a small voice.

Tom jumped, brought back from his deep thoughts by the new voice. “You sure?” He stood straight, a concerned look on his face.

Star just nodded her head and stepped back into the room, moving to the side and standing by the door as the prince walked in. She crossed her arms as she looked onto the scene unfolding in front of her.

“You okay?” Tom asked, walking by the side of the bed but keeping a distance.

“Yeah, I’m okay.” Marco replied, a grin tugging on his lips. Star’s eyes widened. “I just hit my head, it’s nothing.”

“It’s not nothing, you’re lucking you didn’t get a concussion.” Tom said, a bit irritated.

“How’s your wing?” The human asked, seeing it was still split.

“It’ll be fine in a few days. Demons heal fast.” The prince replied with a sigh.

“That’s good to know.” Marco smiled, a genuine, happy and relieved smile. Star got even more baffled. These two didn’t have much time to talk to each other, they honestly barely spoke when they met at the garden, which drags the question: how did Marco know about Tom and the assassins?

“Okay, okay.” She said, her arms in front of her as she made her way by the other side of the bed. “When did you two become best friends?” She didn’t intend that to sound as mean, but it delivered her point to them.

“Um-“

“I couldn’t sleep so I went to the gardens and found him there so we talked.” Tom said casually, leaning on one leg.

“And you didn’t explode?” Okay, sometimes she really needed a filter, even she knew.

Tom narrowed his eyes at her. “No, Star, I didn’t.”

“Okay, chill, both of you.” Marco interjected, leaning on his hands and sitting up slowly. Star quickly went to help him up while Tom seemed to twitch towards him. “It doesn’t matter, what’s done is done, and no one is going to explode.” The princess looked to the side, looking ashamed at what she said. He placed a hand on his head, feeling a numb pounding again. “How long are we gonna stay here?” The question was genuine, he wasn’t complaining.

“You’ll heal completely in a few hours, our doctors gave you some medication while you were sleeping. They’ll bring you some more medication later so you can heal faster.” Tom replied, looking around like he wasn’t really interested in what he was saying. Marco could see the tenseness in his shoulders and the stiffness in his wings.

“Remind me to come here when I get hurt again.” The teen tried for a light mood, but he only received awkward smiles.

“I’ll… leave you two alone…” The prince replied, looking a bit disappointed. He turned to leave and as he grabbed the door, a soft voice made him stop.

“Gracias, Tom.” Marco said, the smile on his face widening when he locked eyes with wide red ones.

“What?”

“It means ‘thank you’ in my native tongue.”

“Oh…” He paused for a bit. “You’re welcome.” He returned the smile before he left through the door.

“What the cheese was that?” Star asked, snapping her head towards her best friend.

“What do you mean?” Marco asked as he raised a brow at her.

“Uh- you and Tom?? When did _that_ happen??”

“Last night?”

“_Just_ last night??”

“Star, what do you want?”

“Nothing! Nothing.” The girl replied, raising her hands as if she means no harm… Marco knew better.

“Star.” He said, his voice growing a bit accusing.

“Really! It’s nothing!” She said again, dropping her hands and looking around. There was silence for a moment as she rubbed her palms on her knees, Marco looking at her through half lidded, unimpressed eyes. “Just that…” She began, the boy keeping quiet. “You guys look so…_close_. And it happened over just _one_ night?” It was almost as if she was asking herself instead of talking to her friend.

“You’re overreacting, Star.” Marco replied, putting hand on hers. “Tom’s a nice guy, I don’t see why I can’t be nice to him back.”

“… Yeah… Yeah- of course- I mean, that makes sense.” She replied, a hesitant smile on her face.

Whatever Marco was going to say next was cut off as the door opened, Dex coming in with another few demons who looked like doctors. Seems his medicine was here. Star was honestly happy about it.

“We must apologize to the both of you.” Kin Dave said as he looked at Star and Marco with an honest expression.

“No, no, your highness, this is definitely not your fault.” The princess replied, shaking her hands and head. “None of you could’ve known that this would happen.”

“Young Marco still got hurt, though.” The king turned towards him making the teen stiffen. “Our security shouldn’t’ve let that happen and that is unacceptable.”

“Your majesty, it really is fine.” Marco this time replied, stepping so he was standing beside his best friend. “We’ve gotten out of worse situations and without the help of your medicine. I greatly appreciate that, by the way.” He bowed low, emitting a stifled chuckle from Dave.

“Rise, young Marco.” The king was smiling when they locked eyes and it made the teen smile too. He looked away a few seconds later, though, contemplating if he should ask the question that’s been plaguing his mind since he woke up. Dave noticed. “Is there a problem?” He asked, his tone a curious one.

“No, no problem.” Marco replied quickly. “Just… a question.”

“Ask away.”

There was a moment of silence. “T- Prince Tom told me last night that… that this sort of thing happened a lot… Umm…” He didn’t think this far. Dave, though, sighed, half-expecting the question apparently.

“The person that is behind those attacks is the same person you’re after.”

“Cultra?” Marco’s eyes widened.

“I’m afraid so.”

“But why?” He knew from Star that the two had history, but this was not what he expected.

“I’m afraid it’s not my story to tell.” Marco would be lying if he said he wasn’t disappointed by the answer.

“Thank you for your hospitality and the medicine.” He said instead, bowing his head only this time. King Dave smiled.

“Of course.” Dex came in and led them away.

The doors slammed shut behind them with a loud bang, startling Marco only slightly. He looked at Star and saw the disappointment on her face as well, but there seemed to be something more bellow.

“Come on.” She said, going up front with her sagged shoulders. Marco followed behind silently, the streets and people didn’t interest him as much as they did when they came here yesterday. Bodies kept bumping into him, but he just kept on walking, mimicking Star’s mood.

The trek to the carriage was quick and slow at the same time, but he hadn’t even realized he was home till he sat on his bed in the dark. A shiver ran up his spine. It’s been a while since he spaced out like that. He took off his hoodie and pants and jumped into bed, too lazy and tired to actually out on any pair of pajamas or change into a clean shirt. He flipped onto his stomach and hugged his pillow, the blanket loosely pulled over his legs and back. He thought back to when the assassins came to the castle, when Tom had picked him up and held him tight against his chest. He could feel the prince’s heart pounding in his chest, out of fear for Marco or the surprise of the assassins, he’ll never know, but what he did know was that it felt… Nice? To be held like that.

He thought further back to their conversation in the garden. He cringed when he remembered how awkward it was when they began, but a laugh still bubbled in his chest. It already felt like it was distant memory, even if it happened barely a day ago.

His eyes casted down towards the ground, thinking about what possible feud Tom and Cultra had between them. The demoness was known to manipulate people and throw them around till she got bored- was that what she did to the prince as well?

_“It’s just… The way he looks is… I mean, he hasn’t always looked that way and… it’s kind of a sensitive subject… I know that demons can come in all shapes and sizes but he really doesn’t look anything like his parents…”_

Could that have been connected to Cultra?

It was plausible, but he needed confirmation. Star may seem like someone who blurts out things she shouldn’t, but she keeps heavy secrets like they were lost treasure only she knew about. She’d take some of them to the grave, Marco should know. The prince was out of the question as well. He couldn’t just go to the Underworld and ask the question like he was borrowing sugar from neighbors- it wasn’t right and it would also be awkward, let’s not forget.

He shook his head to snap himself out of his daze. It was not his place to pry so he wouldn’t. If Tom had wanted to tell him then he would’ve, of that much he was sure. He looked up at the clock beside his bed and was a little surprised to see it was quarter to nine. It was unusual for the house to be this quiet at this time, but his parents had left them both a note in their rooms saying that they went to Mewni on a short notice because Meteora had missed Mariposa a lot. Marco didn’t mind. He was happy his baby sister had someone she could call her best friend, even if he and that friend didn’t exactly get along all that well.

Star had locked herself up in her room and was probably talking to Pony Head- if she hadn’t already left to her friend’s home.

It was odd, the silence, but Marco appreciated it. He took full advantage of the peaceful moment to just relax. It was rare to have a second to oneself in the Diaz household, but noise was also a comfort so Marco liked both the peace and the chaos.

The house suddenly rattled and shook, startling the teen out of bed. He quickly ran to the door and opened it, standing under the gap in the wall. After a few minutes of nothing happening, Marco dared to step out of the frame, down the stairs and out the back door to the garden. His eyes widened when he saw the demon prince standing a few ways away.

“Tom?” He asked, walking up to him in quick strides.

“Hi.” The other replied, a bit sheepish.

“What are you doing here? How’d you get here? How do you know where I live-?“

“Okay, one question at a time, please.” The prince raised his hands and took a step back as if to show that the questions were physically moving him. “I can teleport myself and I asked the Demon Carriage where to find you. As to why I’m here…” He looked down, a little unsure.

“Yeah?”

Taking a deep breath, Tom let it out as he answered, looking Marco in the eyes. “I wanna help stop Cultra.”

Marco stood stunned for a moment. “… Really?”

“Really.” Tom smiled, a little strained but genuine at the same time. “I’m sick of having to look over my shoulder every minute of every day and… “ He paused. “I don’t want anyone getting hurt for me again.” His smile was gone, his eyes sad and a sort of vulnerability was showing through slightly. It made Marco’s heart melt a little.

“That’s awesome.” He replied, smiling.

“Yeah?” The other smiled tentatively.

“Yeah.”

They stood there for a while, just smiling and enjoying the silence. Marco shivered as a breeze went by, hugging his arms and rubbing them to try and warm himself up. Goosebumps rose on his skin as he felt the wind down by his crotch as well. A sudden flush overtook his face as he exclaimed, quickly covering his underwear with his hands. This couldn’t get any more embarrassing. Tom’s ear twitched.

“What is it?” He asked, stepping a bit closer with his hand outstretched.

“Ah- Look away!” Marco was close to screaming, startling Tom. His ears flopped down.

“I- Did I- um.” The prince had no idea what he’d done, but he still turned around, a sad look gracing his face. “I’m sorry if I offended you.” He mumbled.

“No- Tom- it’s not- you didn’t offend me.” Marco was having a hard time forming words and trying to decide if he should go inside to grab a blanket at least. “I’m- it’s just- I’m in my underwear and it’s really embarrassing. I thought there was an earth quake so I wasn’t really thinking about putting something on, but it’s not your fault-“ A sudden shadow fell over his head, a soft velvet material. It bundled around his legs and he realized that it could be wrapped around him three more times. He looked up at Tom and saw the cape he had worn was gone, now placed around his own shoulders.

“In the Underworld, a lot of demons don’t wear more than a cloth to cover their private areas. It wasn’t weird for me, but sine you’re uncomfortable…” He gestured to the cape, finishing his sentence there. Marco’s blush had gone soft, goosebumps rising on his skin again- for different reasons this time.

“Thank you.” He replied in a small voice, but his smile was big.

“You’re welcome.” The smile was returned.

“Wanna come inside?”

They managed to get the prince inside and Marco offered him a seat on the couch. It almost broke when Tom sat down, so he moved to the floor. The human quickly went to the kitchen as the two made small talk, coming back with a bowl of nachos and a smile on his face at the conversation they were having.

It was almost a full hour since Tom had shown up when Star came downstairs to see Marco with him in the living room, eating nachos and laughing. Two questions popped in her head at that moment, one: how’d Tom get through the door? And two: what was happening?

Marco was sitting with his back to the couch, a nacho in his hand and a big red cape wrapped around him. Tom was opposite him, nachos all over his fur as he joined the teen in his merriment. It was odd, the whole picture. They looked so comfortable and in the moment, so relaxed and just enjoying themselves. Marco looked like he was unconsciously burying himself deeper into the material piling around him, pulling at it with his hands to keep it close. Star swore she even saw him nuzzle his cheek into it, but Tom either didn’t notice or didn’t care. Her eyes kept widening as she stepped down the last of the stairs, purposefully stomping on the last one.

The two in front of her snapped their heads towards the sound, Tom jumping a little towards his human friend. With everything that had happened yesterday, he couldn’t be too careful. Their eyes widened when they saw her, a light flush creeping up their cheeks. She tried her best not to look upset, but her brows furrowed as she crossed her arms.

“Tom? What are you doing here?” She asked, stepping in front of the two. The prince regained his posture much quicker than Marco, schooling his face and saying, in a serious tone, what he said to the human. Her eyes widened again, all her previous shock and bitterness gone. “Really?” Her arms dropped.

“Really.” Tom replied, a little smile on his face.

“That’s… great!” She smiled wide herself, getting excited.

“Where’ve you been?” Marco finally spoke, turning towards his best friend properly.

“With Pony.” He knew it. “But that doesn’t matter right now, what matters is that we finally have man on the inside!”

“The inside?” Tom raised a brow.

“Well, yeah, I mean you knew her and you used to hang out- you still know some of her favorite places, right?”

Tom’s face became grim. “… Right.” His gaze fell to the ground. Marco looked between them.

“Okay, yeah, but maybe that could wait till tomorrow? How about we just rest for the night and talk about all this in the morning?” He got up, holding the cape over his body and looked down at the prince. His smile was soft. “Will you be staying here?”

“I don’t think there’s room in your house…” Tom replied, having to bend a little when he stood up. His wings were almost at a forty-five-degree angle because of the roof and there were a few long lines because of his horns.

“Star can magic up a room for you, right, Star?” Marco looked towards his best friend with a smile, the other two tensing up slightly. “It’s a long ride to the Underworld and there’s no point in you going back and forth.” He started walking towards the stairs, not waiting for a reply. “Well?” He turned and asked, looking at Star pointedly, his brows raised and the smile still on his face.

The princess sighed, whipping out her wand. “Fine. Magical room transformation transport.” She said, poofing them into a dark red room. As Marco looked around, he could see elements of the castle scattered about- the dark pink curtains, black walls, soft beddings and red blankets. The bed was black and huge and pillows were piling up at the headrest, the carpet a greying lavender color, scratchy yet oddly comfortable. “Hope this is okay.” She said in a small voice, her head down.

“It’s fine…” Tom replied. “… Thanks.” He said as an afterthought.

“No problem.”

“Well, uh, I guess we’ll see you in the morning?” Marco said as he ushered Star through the door, the prince not moving from his spot.

“Yeah..” He looked down, scratching his neck.

The teen smiled softly at him. “Goodnight, Tom.” The demon smiled at him nervously and slightly relieved.

“Goodnight, Marco.” The human smiled a bit wider and closed the door, enveloping Tom in darkness. The prince sighed as he finally moved, stepping towards the window and looking out.

It was a weird sight. He was so used to seeing the sky red that the blue was somewhat becoming unnerving, yet oddly calming. The streets weren’t broken like at home, and the weren’t crowded. Small street lamps were illuminating the town along with the stars and moon, some windows glowing brightly because of the light inside. The biggest thing that was spiking up Tom’s nervousness was the quiet. In the Underworld, there was ruckus and noise going about wherever you went, but the stillness this night offered was sending chills up his spine and making goosebumps appear on his skin.

His pinched his brows and closed the curtains, walking back to the bed and slumping into it.

Marco flopped on his bed, a sigh of relief escaping his lips as his shoulders sagged. If things continued like this between Tom and Star, he wasn’t sure they’d get anywhere in their spontaneous plan. He had to find out what happened exactly between the two royals so they could fix their problem and forget their grudges. Turning to the side, he only just realized the cape was still around his shoulders as he gripped it tightly in his hands. It was large enough to cover his whole bed, soft to the touch and very, very comfortable, all of a sudden.

He closed his eyes as he brought it to his face, the fabric gently brushing his cheeks, the scent ashy and fiery. He didn’t know why, but he liked it.

A rosy color appeared on his cheeks as he realized what he was doing, pulling the velvet down and under his chin. He stayed still a few more seconds before pulling it back up to his nose, his eyes closing, The flush darkened, and his smile was giddy and shy as sleep was beginning to take over. It was odd -he had to admit- how weird this whole situation he was in was. He just met Tom barely a day ago, and yet he was so comfortable around him. He already felt like he knew a lot about him (possibly because of their midnight talk, though) and he felt safe around him as well.

Star, by the way she was telling him about the prince, acting like she was describing this monster that came straight from her dreams, he eyes scared and guilty. But all Marco saw was an awkward guy wanting to show a little bit of his true self.

Truly, it was odd how he looked at Tom.

And somehow, he didn’t mind it much, pulling his makeshift blanket tighter around himself. He fell asleep with dreams of ruby skies and velvet capes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> God help me with the next chapters because I'm literally flying off the seat of my pants with this story, I have nothing prepared

**Author's Note:**

> I forgot to mention that this is very much inspired by Beauty and The Beast


End file.
